Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

At 4:30 pm, the setting sun shone directly on the large square in front of the street office. Fortunately, a sunshade had been set up in advance, and with the help of fans and ice, it wasn't too hot.

At this time, the men from all the families in Lianzhai had come to the front of the courtyard. Chen Zailong stood in the crowd and kept directing people to put tables together. There are many rules for eating at banquets in Tuocheng. It is not enough to just sit down randomly.

The elderly sit in the main seats, while the younger people sit with them. The younger people also have to sit in the aisle, ready to serve dishes at any time. When the food delivery person comes, they have to help put the dishes on the table in time, because the delivery person carries dishes from several tables at once on a tray, and if they don't help, the dishes will easily spill.

Chen Zaiguang pulled a junior member of the clan to a table full of elders. "Chenglong, you sit at this table and serve the dishes to all the great uncles. The men of our Chen family should all be more dignified. Don't always keep your head down. People who don't know better might think you have a bad neck."

"Hahaha!"

The old men at the table all laughed when they heard Chen Zailong's words. Chen Chenglong nodded shyly. Seeing this, Chen Zaiguang placed the unopened pack of Huazi cigarettes on the table in front of Chen Chenglong. "Chenglong, open the pack. Give each of your great-uncle and uncles a pack. The remaining two packs are for loose cigarettes. Be smart and give out more cigarettes."

"Oh, I understand, Uncle," Chen Chenglong nodded again, somewhat blankly. He was of the Cheng generation. According to the Chen family genealogy, from Shengxian Zairong to Chengde Qiming, Chen Chenglong had to call Chen Rongfei, Chen Zaiguang's son, "Uncle." Naturally, he would call Chen Zaiguang "Uncle."

In southern Guangdong, especially in Tuocheng, it's hard for children from large families to feel withdrawn or inferior. Whenever there's a family event, all the men have to participate, and no one will look down on you; they'll all chat with you warmly.

The older generation will teach you how to do things by example, your peers will chat and joke with you, and those a generation younger will respectfully call you "uncle." Anyone who dares to look down on you in public is considered an incompetent member of the clan.

Some parents like to expose their children's shortcomings in front of acquaintances, belittling them to nothing. But this is unacceptable in the Chen family. The clan head, Chen Xiangui, hates such behavior the most. Although his fifth son, Chen Zaixing, used to be a reckless troublemaker, Chen Xiangui never said a bad word about Chen Zaixing in front of others.

The more you expose your child's shortcomings and scold them in front of acquaintances, the more inferior your child will become. You may seem to be trying to motivate your child, but you are actually harming them.

Just as Chen Zaiguang said, the men of the Chen family should be more magnanimous and not timid. They should be as upright and confident as men, walking through the world with their heads held high.

What's there to be afraid of!

"Chengcai, you go to that table," Chen Zaiguang said with a smile after instructing Chen Chenglong, then turned to another boy and scolded, "Why do you keep running to this table?"

"Uncle, I don't want to go to that table. They keep trying to get me to drink, but I won't drink." Compared to Chen Chenglong, Chen Chengcai was much more lively and quick-witted. Chen Zaiguang glanced at the table he had arranged and saw that it was indeed full of drunkards. "Alright, then you can sit at this table."

"Da Guang, find someone who can drink. Those who can't drink can't sit at our table." The people at that table had already opened the Moutai on their table and were drinking before the food was even served.

Chen Xiangui was talking to Chen Dong at the main table when he heard the shout. He stood up and laughed, "Zai Lu, you've got quite the nerve. I'll drink with you, down the whole bottle!"

"No, no, no, Uncle Xiangui, drinking Moutai by the bottle is such a waste, no, no," Chen Zailu quickly waved his hand to refuse. Just kidding, everyone in Lianzhai knows how much Chen Xiangui and his son Chen Zaixing can drink. If you drink with them and you throw up, they will still pat you on the back and say that if you can't drink, you can go to the children's table next time.

It's so infuriating!

Chen Zaiguang also had a smile on his face. Seeing that Cai Gensheng was still busy serving wine to each table, he pulled him over and said to Chen Zailu, "Brother Zailu, Gensheng can drink. He'll come to your table when he's done."

"Okay, then I'll have a good drink with you later, Brother Zailu," Cai Gensheng nodded in agreement. Chen Zailu then asked, "Are you sure you can handle it? We're all seasoned drinkers here. Don't drink yourself under the table."

"Hahaha!"

"Gensheng, you haven't even had a drink yet, and your little poems are like an old sow wearing a bra—one after another, hahaha!"

The people around them laughed and made a fuss. Chen Zaiguang smiled and shook his head, saying that there were women and children here, so let's not say too much, and then went back to his work. Zhang Yi and the other women and children sat at a table listening to these people's lewd talk. Gu Ying rolled her eyes at the sound of it, while Zhang Yi covered her son Ronghui's ears.

With two beeping sounds, Chen Zaisheng and Chen Zailong drove off to the city to invite Chen Rongfei's teachers and principal.

As soon as Fang Rusong got out of the car, Chen Xiangui warmly shook his hand, "Principal Fang, welcome, welcome!"

"Mr. Chen, you're too kind. The car service is really too kind," Fang Rusong quickly shook Chen Xiangui's hand, his face full of excitement.

Following behind were Liu Xueliang, the head of the teaching department, Zheng Guoping, the history teacher, and Liu Xiulan, the math teacher, who got out of the car. Seeing Chen Xiangui's enthusiasm, they all smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, you're too kind!"

Chen Xiangui waved his hand and said with a smile, "Principal Fang, teachers, Rongfei's success today is all thanks to your excellent teaching. It's not an exaggeration to be so polite. This seat of honor tonight is reserved for you."

Fang Rusong quickly replied politely, "Mr. Chen, Rongfei is the most diligent student in our school in recent years. His admission to Jiangsu University of Political Science and Law makes us teachers very proud!"

Chen Rongfei, who had been standing beside his father Chen Zaiguang, stepped forward gracefully and bowed respectfully to the teachers. "Principal Fang, Teacher Liu, Teacher Zheng, Teacher Liu, thank you."

Fang Rusong patted Chen Rongfei on the shoulder, his eyes full of satisfaction, "Good, keep up the good work in college, don't slack off."

Liu Xiulan smiled and said, "Rongfei, you are one of the best math students I have ever taught. If you encounter any troubles when you get to Jincheng, remember to write to your teacher."

Liu Xueliang and Zheng Guoping also offered Chen Rongfei a few words of encouragement. After they finished speaking, Chen Xiangui smiled and invited Fang Rusong and the others to the main table. The eight-person square table was for eight people. Chen Dong stood by the table with a smile and invited the teachers to take their seats.

The main table was occupied by four teachers, along with Chen Dong, Chen Xiangui, and Chen Zaiguang, and of course, the main character of the evening, Chen Rongfei, making a total of eight people.

Seeing that almost everyone was seated, Chen Zailong glanced at his watch and saw that it was already a little past 4:50. He immediately said to Chang Liangming, who was still standing by the stove, "Brother Liangming, it's almost time to serve the dishes."

"Okay, once your dad finishes speaking and the firecrackers go off, we'll immediately serve the dishes."